With crimes of opportunity on the rise this past year on the OU campus, students are advised to lock up all personal belongings as well as take advantage of programs and resources the police department offers, said Lt. Bruce Chan, OUPD spokesman.

SafeRide is one of the programs students are encouraged to use. Created in 2004, it offers free rides to students with a valid student ID from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. anywhere in Norman city limits, according to the SafeRide website. It will operated during the summer school sessions and will reopen Aug. 26.

Another program, SafeWalk, is a service for students not wanting to walk on campus alone. A SafeWalk staff member will escort anyone on campus from 8 p.m until 2 a.m., seven days a week.

Of large concern to OUPD this upcoming school year is unattended property like backpacks, briefcases or packages that might be considered suspicious or out of place.

“Don’t hesitate to call us if you see people who are acting out of place or who are acting suspiciously,” Chan said. “We like to err on the safe side.”

In the year 2009, there were 780 filed reports of suspicious people or vehicles around the OU campus, according to OUPD records.

Services provided by the police department on the Norman campus include animal control; emergency medical assistance for people who sustain injuries or suddenly become ill; and motorist assistance for people whose vehicles are stranded, according to the OUPD website.

Police officers can also help with battery jump-starts, and offer transportation to a service station or supply compressed air to refill a flat tire.

The OUPD headquarters are located in the south of campus near the OU Jimmy Austin golf course. There is also a satellite office located near Cate Center for student support and is manned eight hours a day in the school year, Chan said.